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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29480052">By the Fireside</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PizzaNSunshine/pseuds/PizzaNSunshine'>PizzaNSunshine</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>After the Battle [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cuddling, F/M, Fluff, Post-Calamity Ganon, discord ship appreciation week, zelink</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 22:41:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>788</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29480052</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PizzaNSunshine/pseuds/PizzaNSunshine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zelda and Link sleepy campfire snuggles. Post calamity.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>After the Battle [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1980562</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>By the Fireside</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Great Calamity may have kept the princess and her knight apart for over a century, but somehow the time apart had changed them for the better in many ways. </p>
<p>Zelda sat by the fire, watching Link busy himself with cleaning his weapons, gathering kindling for the fire and the many other things he'd grown accustomed to doing as he learned to survive alone in the wild over the past year. She couldn't help but reflect on how he was still the Link she'd known before and yet—not, in many ways. </p>
<p>For one, he was still fiercely protective and attentive to her every need. Her face lit up in a warm smile as she felt her warm cloak slip around her shoulders. She'd barely registered the chill night air enough to allow herself a shiver before he was there, cloak in hand and gently settling it over her shoulders. </p>
<p>"What's that smile for?" he asked with a grin and a raised eyebrow, taking the spot on the log beside her as he playfully bumped his shoulder against hers before pulling out a pocket knife and whittling away at a stray tree branch he had collected.</p>
<p>For another, he was much more open with his affection and his smiles were given much more freely than she remembered. While she loved the Link of a century past, she couldn't deny that this warmer version of the Link she already knew and love had been a welcome surprise.</p>
<p>"Oh, nothing really," she sighed contentedly, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I was just thinking how glad I am to be here with you."</p>
<p>Link smirked, scraping the bark of off the tree branch with another swipe of his knife. "I can't say I'm not glad to hear that you find me too be better company than Calamity Ganon."</p>
<p>"There's no competition," Zelda said firmly, though she too was smirking. "He never once brought me my cloak when I was cold."</p>
<p>"I live to serve," he replied simply, leaning into her slightly. He glanced down at her, tilting his head to one side. "You seemed to have stopped the shivering. Are you warm enough now?"</p>
<p>The truth was that between the fire and the cloak and his nearness, the princess was perfectly warm. For the moment. </p>
<p>"I'll be fine," she murmured, her eyes glazing over as she stared into the merrily dancing flames. </p>
<p>They were both quiet for a long time, Link keeping his hands busy with his carving and Zelda still resting her head on his shoulder. Though they were camping near a ruin in the middle of nowhere, she was warm and content and felt utterly safe with Link there by her side.</p>
<p>Her breaths slowed, her eyelids becoming heavier by the second until her consciousness left her and she was asleep. She had no idea how much time had passed before she felt the jostling and her eyes opened a crack to see that she had shifted—her head was still resting against his shoulder, but Link's strong jaw was above her and he was carrying her—just a few steps until he gently laid her on her pallet just on the other side of the campfire.</p>
<p>Before he could stand, Zelda tightened her arms around his neck. "Wait," she murmured, holding him close. "Don't go."</p>
<p>A throaty chuckle. "Go back to sleep, Zelda. I'm sorry I woke you."</p>
<p>"Stay," she said once more. "Please?"</p>
<p>"I'm just going over there to my own bed."</p>
<p>She pouted, still refusing to let go. "I'll be cold."</p>
<p>Link was quiet a long moment, eyeing her in speculation. Finally, he sighed in mock defeat. "Alright, princess. If you're sure."</p>
<p>She smiled blearily. "I am."</p>
<p>"Well, you still have to let go so I can go and get my blankets, or one of us is going to be lying in the dirt."</p>
<p>"That sounds reasonable. I accept your terms, Sir Link."</p>
<p>Snorting, Link rolled his eyes playfully and went to collect his bedroll, laying it out beside hers before crawling under the cover and gathering the waiting princess beside him into his arms.</p>
<p>Wasting no time, Zelda smiled sleepily, curling up into his side. A small voice in the back of her mind warned her she would probably be embarrassed by her brazenness in the morning, but in the moment she was truly happy. Even though she was sleeping on a forest floor, miles away from civilization, she was warm and safe in the arms of the one person in all of Hyrule she loved and trusted above all others. And that, in and of itself, was reason enough to once more drift off to sleep with a content smile upon her lips</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Written for the Discord Ship Appreciation Week, day 2 prompt: cuddling.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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